Median Work Could Cause Delays in Cathedral City

Get ready for some delays if you commute along Ramon Road in Cathedral City.

“My first reaction was.. Oh no another bump in the road,” said Manager at Don and Sweet Sue’s Cafe, Tim Atcheson.

On Monday, landscaping crews started work on the street’s median between Landau Boulevard and Date Palm Drive.

The work is expected to prompt one to two lane closures in each direction, everyday for the next 8 weeks.

“Well it needs to be done I guess, I would have just hoped they put in rocks and be done with it,” Atcheson said.

Last year he said their business took a major financial hit due to the months long road construction on Ramon Road, and word of this latest project leaves him a little apprehensive.

“Summer is difficult anyhow and it hurt us by 30-percent in our sales over last summer.”

The city said access to businesses will be open at all times.

“They tried to keep it down to a minimum, but there’s now way to get around, people don’t want to deal with it, they go somewhere else,” Atcheson said.

The project consists of installing irrigation piping and controls, landscape plants, trees, and decorative rock in the medians.

The city says the landscape design is consistent with the previously-installed Ramon Road median landscape between Date Palm Drive and DaVall Drive.

Down the road from Don and Sweet Sue’s Cafe, at the Dare Cadillac Repair shop – owner Jeff Perzichino says construction luckily didn’t affect him too much, but understands neighboring businesses concerns.

“I know the dentist said that business was way down.”

Atcheson said it doesn’t sound like it’ll be as bad this time around, but he’ll just be glad when its over.

“If they want to spruce it up and that’s fine, I understand. Our image isn’t the greatest, so maybe this will help make it look a little nicer,” Atcheson said.